"The Purcell Quartet's essential string sound has always been sweet, airy and lucid, and it is interesting to hear how that has been transferred here from the instrumental sphere to the vocal. Emma Kirkby and Suzie LeBlanc make an excellent pairing, distinguishable from each other in both voice and approach, yet at the same time superbly matched in duet; and Peter Harvey has the friendliest of bass voices." - Lindsay Greenfeld, Gramophone

bbc.co.uk - Andrew McGregorSeveral of these Sacred Cantatas by Buxtehude aren't otherwise available, and if you'd like to put some flesh on the bare bones of the man admired, and eclipsed, by Bach, then I can't currently think of a nicer way of doing it.

Gramophone Classical Music GuideSetting various German and Latin texts for solo voices, violins and continuo, these sacred cantatas are typical products of the late 17th century in their pragmatic approach to form.

Here are patchworks such as Jesu dulcis memoria and Salve, Jesu, Patris gnate unigenite; chorale or song variations such as Jesu, meine Freude; and others, like Ich halte es dafür and Ich habe Lustabzuscheiden, which combine the two. CantateDomino is liltingly Italianate, Mein Herz ist bereit is an agile showpiece for solo bass, while Herr, wennich nur dich hab is a set of variations over a ground bass. The Purcell Quartet's essential string sound has always been sweet, airy and lucid, and it's interesting to hear how that has been transferred here from the instrumental sphere to the vocal.

To this end the choice of singers is important, and on this occasion they could hardly have picked more shrewdly: Emma Kirkby and Suzie LeBlanc make an excellent pairing, distinguishable from each other in both voice and approach, yet at the same time superbly matched in duet; and Peter Harvey has the friendliest of bass voices, his alert account of Mein Herz ist bereit, set against the thrillingly radiant background of three violins, being one of the disc's highlights.

An expert recording in an amenable acoustic completes a release of many refined pleasures.